The invention relates to a household appliance, in particular, a food processor, which has a housing including at least two housing parts that can be joined together and in which there is installed an electric operating element, of which the electric circuit contains a control member that can be actuated by an actuating element disposed on the outside of the housing.
Household appliances, for example, food processors, usually have a housing with two housing parts that can be joined together. A drive motor is disposed on the one housing part (bottom housing part), for example, as an operating element, and an actuating knob or toggle is disposed on the other housing part (top housing part) for the purpose of actuating a switch disposed as a control member in the circuit of the drive motor. Such a switch may be disposed, in spatial terms, either on the bottom housing part, or on the outside of the drive motor fitted on the bottom housing part, or else on the inside of the top housing part. In the latter case, there are certain difficulties in respect of producing the electrical connections between the switch and the drive motor. In the other case, although it is easy to produce, the electrical connections between the drive motor and the switch, on account of their immediate proximity to one another, the task of coupling the actuating knob or toggle to the switch results in problems due to tolerance deviations present when the housing parts are joined together.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a household appliance that overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and that has no difficulties either with respect to the electrical connection of the control member located in the circuit of the operating element or with respect to coupling the actuating element mechanically to the control member.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a household appliance, including a housing having an outside surface, an actuating element disposed on the outside surface, at least two housing parts joined together, one of the housing parts having a carrier part one of directly and indirectly disposed on the one housing part in a floating manner, the carrier part having a mating aligning element, another of the housing parts having a surface defining an installation opening, at least one aligning element engaging the mating aligning element when the at least two housing parts are joined together, and the at least one aligning element being disposed with respect to the installation opening to mount the actuating element to the at least one aligning element, and an electric operating element disposed in the housing and having an electric circuit with a control member connected to and actuated by the actuating element, the control member connected to the carrier part. Wherein the appliance is a food processor.
According to the invention, the control member is fastened on a carrier part disposed in a floating manner directly or indirectly on the one housing part. Provided on the other housing part is at least one aligning element that, when the housing parts are joined together, comes into engagement with a mating aligning part provided on the carrier part. The aligning element on the other housing part is positioned in relation to an installation opening provided on such housing part for the purpose of fitting the actuating element. Placing the control member on the one housing part makes it possible easily to produce the electrical connections between the control member and the operating element fitted on the same housing part. When the housing parts are joined together, the aligning element, which is fitted on the other housing part, in conjunction with the mating aligning element, provided on the carrying part, aligns the carrier part correspondingly. The corresponding positioning of the aligning element in relation to the installation opening for the actuating element, then, ensures that the control element passes into a position coinciding with the spatial position of the actuating element. It is, thus, also the case that the task of coupling the actuating element to the control member does not present any difficulties.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, corresponding alignment of the carrier part is ensured respectively by placing the carrier part on the one housing part in a resilient manner in the plug-on direction of the other housing part and such that it can be displaced in the direction that is offset through 90xc2x0 in relation to the plug-on direction. As a result of the resilient suspension of the carrier part, the carrier part may be disposed on the one housing part such that, when the two housing parts are joined together, the aligning element and mating aligning element reliably engage and the carrier part, thus, moves into a position in relation to the other housing part that is defined by the aligning element of such housing part. This, then, also defines the position of the actuating element, which can be inserted into the installation opening, in relation to the control member, which is disposed on the carrier part.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the at least two housing parts are joined in a joining direction and the carrier part is floatingly fastened to the one housing part to deflect elastically at least in the joining direction.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, a particularly expedient configuration of the aligning and mating aligning elements is achieved by providing a shaft on the carrier part as a mating aligning element. The shaft has run-in slopes and is positioned in relation to the control member disposed on the carrier part. Also provided on the other housing part as an aligning element is a nose-like strip that fits into the shaft. The run-in slopes ensure that, despite dimensional deviations, these elements come into contact with one another when the housing parts are joined together.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, there are provided pin-like protrusions, on the carrier part as further mating aligning elements, projecting out of the plane of the carrier part and likewise positioned in relation to the position of the control member. Provided on the other housing part are obliquely running strips that, when the two housing parts are joined together, engage in an arrow-like manner between the pin-like protrusions and slide along the latter. The further mating aligning elements also allow relatively high adjusting forces to be dealt with.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, an embodiment that is particularly suitable for adjustment both in the horizontal and in the vertical directions is characterized in that the carrier part has at least three carrying arms with a resilient configuration in the plug-on direction of the other housing part and that are fastened on the one housing part such that they can be displaced in the direction that is offset through 90xc2x0 in relation to the plug-on direction.
Because a printed circuit board containing the control member is fitted on the carrier part, it is also possible for the components that are necessary for controlling or regulating the electric operating element to be placed at a suitable location that does not require any further wiring outlay.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the electric operating element is one of the group consisting of a motor and heating coils. If a drive motor is provided as the operating element, then the carrier part may advantageously be disposed on the outside of the drive motor.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, it is advantageous from construction standpoints to provide, on the other housing part, a separate component that serves as an aligning element and is aligned in its position on the other housing part in the direction of the installation opening for the actuating element. Such a component of relatively complicated configuration can be produced considerably more easily independent of the housing, and need, then, just be installed on the housing. Such installation can take place, in turn, without high outlay by retaining the component in the installation opening with corresponding latching elements.
Tolerance deviations have less effect on the task of coupling the actuating element to the control member in that the actuating element can be connected directly to the component in the installation opening from the outside of the housing. As such, dimensional deviations in respect of fitting the component on the other housing part have no effect when the actuating element is coupled to the control member.
In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, the actuating element has a latching connection connecting the actuating element to the at least one aligning element.
Because the actuating element can be connected to the component by a latching connection, straightforward installation of the actuating element, which requires little outlay, is possible.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the control member is a switch.
Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a household appliance, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.